1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the computerized design of fire sprinkler systems, and in particular to the dynamic analysis of hydraulic performance in a computer aided drafting (xe2x80x9cCADxe2x80x9d) model.
2. Background of the Invention
Fire sprinkler distribution system are required in commercial and industrial buildings for the protection of the public in the event of a fire. Governmental entities and insurance companies have long recognized the need to adequately protect persons and property from catastrophic fires in memorializing sprinkler system design standards into their building codes, and as a condition of insurance coverage, respectively.
In designing a fire sprinkler system, the engineer must show the calculated hydraulic performance of the system, when one or more of the sprinkler system delivery elements are in a flowing hydraulic state. This showing typically requires sprinkler heads in one or more regions of the system to be xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d, in relation to other flowing system elements such as hoses, hydrants, and nozzles. A requirement of the engineer is to determine which region of the system when the sprinklers within it are opened creates the greatest demand on the supplies to the system (the xe2x80x9cremote areaxe2x80x9d), and to prove through mathematical calculations that the minimum required fire containment capability can be achieved. The shape and dimensions of the remote area are dictated by the building construction, the type of commodities stored within the area to be protected, and the relevant system design standards, such as NFPA-13. Thus, in complex irregular piping configurations determining the remote area can be very difficult to determine.
The engineer must also select the material and dimensional specifications for the water delivery piping which provide the optimum hydraulic performance according to the hazards to be associated with the building, or portion of the building to be protected. For example, pipes which are too small in diameter do not allow sufficient water flow through the system to provide adequate containment in the event of a fire. Conversely, the use of pipes which are too large in diameter will cause an excessive water flow through the system. Excessive flow reduces the overall fire fighting potential of the water supply in situations where multiple fire protection systems are flowing simultaneously. In addition, optimization of the material and dimensional properties of the pipe delivery elements of the system will often translate into a lower cost system, which enables the designer to submit a more competitive bid for the project.
The prior art discloses computerized methods for automatically designing the layout of a fire sprinkler distribution system. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,227,983, 5,557,537, and 5,808,905 disclose a method for designing and editing the distribution system for a building. Elements of the distribution systems and requirements of a relevant standard are stored in a computer memory. Building constructional features are manually entered into the computer. The user identifies the standard to be followed and the element to be optimized. The system divides the building into sections based on the user identified standard. The system then computes a layout needed to comply with the selected standard. The layout is routed and sized to avoid building structural members. Yet the elements of the layout are optimized for size and length. The design layout can be edited. The edited layout is checked for compliance with the identified standard as well as avoidance of building constructional features.
These methods do not, however, enable an engineer to selectively perform a quick dynamic analysis of the hydraulic performance of the system, or region of the system, as sprinkler heads are opened and closed, when one or more of the sprinkler system delivery elements are in a flowing hydraulic state. Thus, it would be difficult to determine which region of the system when the sprinklers within it are opened is the most remote area, and to prove through mathematical calculations of hydraulic performance that a minimum required fire containment capability can be achieved. The methods also do not provide a dynamic on-screen analysis of hydraulic performance for each element within a selected region, of the system, as pipe diameters are modified by the designer. The methods also require the designer to input the constructional features of a building prior to making any analysis of the system in order to optimize the pipe material and dimensional specifications. Finally, in the foregoing methods, the computer automatically sections building construction into remote design blocks, in computing the layout, based on the selected building standard. Physical elements of the sprinkler system are then automatically located within the predetermined section. Thus, editing operations of the elements are dependent upon the existence of a previously sectioned building layout, which is a confining approach when trying to ascertain the remote area of a system.
Accordingly, what is needed is a computerized fire sprinkler design system which provides a dynamic on-screen display of the calculated hydraulic performance of the system, or an element of the system, while opening and closing system elements when one or more of the system delivery elements in a flowing hydraulic state. The design system should allow the designer to dynamically determine which region of the system, when the sprinklers within it are opened, is the most remote area, and to thereby demonstrate that the minimum required fire containment capability can be achieved. The design system should also allow the designer to optimize the pipe delivery elements for use in an actual construction.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fire sprinkler design system which provides a dynamic on-screen display of the calculated hydraulic performance of the system, or an element of the system, while opening and closing system elements when one or more of the system delivery elements in a flowing hydraulic state.
It a further object of the invention to provide a design system that will allow the designer to dynamically determine which region of the system, when the sprinklers within it are opened, is the most remote area.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a design system which is useful to illustrate that a minimum required fire containment capability can be achieved for any selectable region of the system.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a computerized design system that will provide for optimization of the pipe delivery elements by viewing the hydraulic performance of the system, or a selected group of elements of the system, for use in an actual construction.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description of the invention which now follows.
Briefly, the invention provides a processing system for dynamic analysis of hydraulic performance in a computerized fire sprinkler system model to aid sprinkler designers in auto-peaking the system when at least one of the elements are in a flowing hydraulic state, the system comprising storing in a first memory means a drawing view of a fire sprinkler system, the drawing comprised of a plurality of changeable interengageable system elements, representational of an actual construction, for selective assembly together, the elements having distinctive dimensional and operational properties including an open, closed or automatic flow, providing a remote area boundary for dynamic movement through the view, the remote area in operative connection with the automatic property, finding any one of the elements having an open-flow property, locating the boundary in the view, finding any one of the elements within the boundary having an automatic flow property, calculating a hydraulic result for at least one element using the open or automatic property or both, and displaying the hydraulic result for dynamic system analysis to determine an optimum location for the remote area in the drawing.
The invention further provides a processing system for dynamic analysis of hydraulic performance in a computerized fire sprinkler system model to aid sprinkler designers in optimizing the dimensional and material properties of delivery elements when at least one of the elements are in a flowing hydraulic state, the system comprising storing in a first memory means a drawing view of a fire sprinkler system, the drawing comprised of a plurality of changeable interengageable system elements, representational of an actual construction, for selective assembly together, the elements having distinctive dimensional and operational properties including an open, closed or automatic flow, providing a remote area or system area boundary for dynamic movement through the view, the boundary in operative connection with the automatic flow property, finding any one of the elements having an open-flow property, locating the boundary in the view, collecting structural, dimensional and hydraulic data relative to at least one element in the boundary, finding any one of the elements within the boundary having an automatic flow property, calculating a hydraulic result for at least one element in the boundary using the collected data and the boundary; and optimizing the system by dynamically displaying the hydraulic result and the collected data for the element, and modifying the material or dimensions or both of the element for inclusion in the drawing.
Unless specifically defined otherwise, all technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described.